damaged ceiling

Old house; plaster ceilings and walls; many layers of paint. One of
the bedroom ceilings looks like the craters of the moon! There are
cracks, and pocked surfaces from the loss of paint. Evidently there
was some water damage, the paint started peeling in spots, and it
really looks bad. It seems that the whole surface should be redone.
Is this something a diy'er can do, or do I need to call in a
professional? TIA

Assuming things underneath (lath, etc.) are sound, drywalling over the
top of things would work. If you are dealing with outlets, fixtures,
etc., there are extension boxes to deal with this. Door and window trim
might pose a problem. You can use the thinest drywall you can find,
obviously. I had a damaged ceiling ("veneer" plaster) in a bathroom.
Just dry walled over the top of it, and put in a better vent system, as
moisture had caused the problem.

I saw another option in a house the other day ... thin beadboard applied
over the ceiling with lattice boards over the seams; then painted white.
Looked and worked really well with this particular house style/age/etc.
And, it avoids having to finish the seams that drywall would require
(ceiling drywall work can be a challange and ceilings are a place where
it is hard to hit imperfections).

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